Family Happens Upon Trio Robbing Their Home — and Takes Matters Into Their Own Hands (Video) http://toprightnews.com/?p=7570
The Violence Policy Center has just released an update on its ongoing report about shootings committed by individuals with concealed-carry permits and the information deserves to be studied in detail. The issuance of CCW has been a hot-button issue for the "gun-rights" movement ever since Gary Kleck published a study in 1994 that claimed that more than 2.5 million crimes were prevented every year by Americans walking around with guns. The gun industry and its allies like the NRA jumped on this still-unproven argument because, as Wayne-o said after Sandy Hook, "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." And since anyone with a concealed-carry permit is, by definition, one of the good guys, the gun industry and its supporters work overtime trying to get concealed-carry accepted as the law of the land. The CCW movement has made great strides over the past 20 years. Back in 1990, less than 20 states gave residents concealed-carry permits except in response to applications which cited specific business need (security guards, carrying cash, etc.). Since that time, most state legislatures have passed laws that make concealed-carry no more onerous than what is required legally to keep a gun in the home, and a majority of CCW permits are issued with little or no training required at all. Not only is it easier to get CCW in most states, but a concealed gun can usually be carried into shopping malls, restaurants and bars. Even though violent crime rates have tumbled by more than half over the last 20 years, there's no necessary connection, despite what the gun-rights lobby says, between this trend and the expansion of CCW, for the simple reason that more than 90 percent of the decline in violent crime occurred between 1993 and 2002, whereas the expansion in CCW took place largely over the last ten years. But what appears to have increased with the spread of CCW are the number of fatal shootings by individuals who were lawful CCW-holders at the time they committed these violent acts. I'm not surprised if more CCW permits results in more gun shootings. After all, as the novelist Walter Mosley says, "If you walk around with a gun, it's going to go off sooner or later." Where the guns seem to go off sooner rather than later is in Florida, which recorded 68 killings by CCW-holders since 2007. This represents 10 percent of all CCW killings that the VPC was able to document which took place in a state that holds 3 percent of the nation's total population. Admittedly the VPC numbers are incomplete, because like most efforts to understand gun violence, the data is fragmentary and based on partial media reports. VPC's analysis also ignores gun suicides committed by legal gun owners, many of whom no doubt also had CCW privileges before they died. I know many pro-gun activists who wouldn't dispute the VPC numbers but would argue that an average of 100 fatal shootings each year by CCW-holders is a small price to pay for the thousands of fatal gun assaults that are prevented because law-abiding Americans can walk around with guns. I have been listening to this nonsense since 1994 when Kleck first published the results of his so-called research, but it was the VPC report that made me finally try and test whether this claim is true. The FBI has been compiling data on justifiable homicides, defined as the killing of a felon during the commission of a felony, since 1994. In fact, since 2007, the same time-period covered by the VPC report, American civilians committed 1,023 justifiable homicides with handguns which, if you were to add CCW suicides to CCW homicides at best the whole thing would be a wash. The NRA and its allies have steadfastly refused to recognize the FBI data on justifiable homicide because the numbers, when compared to national CCW population, are pathetically small. No matter which way you cut it, the good guys ain't doing such an impressive job with their guns. Mike Weisser
So what is wrong with CCW holders killing 100 criminals each year? This should be applauded. This article makes it sound like "100 fatal shootings each year by CCW-holders" - all which are legally justified is somehow a bad thing.
What's wrong? Not a thing. Perhaps more of us should carry concealed... AND "kill 100 criminals each year". Perhaps after a while, we wouldn't need to carry any longer.
[ You miss some very key points in that post. The first one is the fact that many violent crimes are prevented simply by the gun owner preparing to shoot the attacker, without them actually firing the shot. You would be surprised by how many criminals flee and look for easier prey. I live in the Metro Detroit area and regularly carry concealed pistols legally, and although I have never had to draw my weapon, my father did several years ago to keep from getting robbed, my cousin did against some car jackers a few years back and a friend of mine did about 8 years ago. In none of these situations did they actually shoot the attackers, so these incidents will never appear on the FBI stats. This is the point that Gary Kleck was making. In Michigan I had to undergo 12 hours of training when I got my CPL license. This included legal information as well as 4 hours of range time, most states have some training requirement. Those quotes from the VPC will not help you if you get into a situation where you and maybe your wife or girl friend get confronted and assaulted somewhere. Those stats you throw around wont mean shit, if you find yourself the target of violent criminals. Having a gun handgun and the skill set to use it...will. The real reason that the VPC and the other gun ban groups hate the CCW laws that have been passed around the country...with such intensity, is because they fear they are a game changer. Years ago I used to go to the gun range and would see mostly white males. Now I go and half are minorities or women. The gun banners are scared shitless about the change in the public attitudes about armed self-defense. Back when guns were just some thing that hunters used or target shooters, most women could care less about them. Once they became an instrument to prevent a women from being raped and killed, it became a tool that they can relate to. This drives the gun confiscation, anti-self defense crowd wild with desperation.
He'll just keep copy-pasting, never you mind those pesky counter facts you guys post. He's got a narrative to fulfill!
A smattering of the gun violence across the country yesterday: One person was shot and killed before the shooter shot him- or herself yesterday in Raleigh, NC; three children were in the residence at the time of the shooting (link). An employee of a gas station was shot and killed early Wednesday morning in Notus, Idaho (link). Three people were shot and killed and 13 more were shot and wounded yesterday in Chicago, IL (link). A meteorologist was shot and wounded yesterday outside the TV station where he worked in Bruceville-Eddy, TX (link). A man shot and killed his mother and grandmother before shooting and killing himself yesterday in Little Rock, AR (link). One person was shot and killed and another was shot and wounded in separate shootings last night in Memphis, TN (link). A man was shot and killed while driving his car near the county courthouse in Fayetteville, NC, yesterday (link). One person was shot and killed and two others were shot and wounded in Los Angeles, CA yesterday (link). I thought it was funny how Fox News brought up Australia’s gun laws in reference to the hostage incident on Monday, but didn’t bring up the U.S.’ virtually nonexistent gun laws when they covered the Pennsylvania shooter who killed six people the same day. Which country has a worse record on gun violence? (link)
Obviously this was not a "stand your ground" case. When you brag that you are going to shoot some teenagers and then bait your garage so you can live out your fantasy -- then you are going to jail for murder.